Here's my quick first impressions of the tune. Note that I have had JB4s (as well as Procede) on my E92, E82, and now, in stage 1 form, on my f30 335i. This is strange but after 50+ miles of adaption this thing feels as quick as my 1er DCT /w JB4 Stage 2 and DP. I'm going to chalk this one up to the excellent ZF 8-speed as it allows you to access a wall of midrange torque on kick down...where the DCT hunts for a good solid 2-3 seconds and ramps up rather than kicks you in the belly.

Comfort mode feels very similar to Sport now, when it comes to throttle response, but you get still get the more lax steering of comfort. Also, I told Terry I was surprised at how smooth it felt. Almost stock-like but with punchier throttle and meatier midrange. I would say, in theory, it feels like the performance kit (which I've driven on an E90 N55) with some steroids involved.

I can't imagine the Stage 2 being that much smoother once CAN is dissected but I'm sure it will be even better and and more drivable. Instant 40whp+ and 60wtq+ that easy? So, for a modest 380 bucks and less than 10 minutes of install/uninstall I can't see this being beat by anyone in the market. More notes and thoughts soooon.

"Not sure how I feel about the whole "riding the knock sensor" issue."

not to stir up the pot but this has been discussed at length and, at this point, basically beating a dead horse.

from another forum but worded way better that I ever could:

"The stock car "rides the knock sensor" just like they chastise the JB for doing. The proCEDE also "rides the knock sensor" with its autotune or when overboosting on any map (which is COMMON). Without doing so, it wouldn't know where to set it's limits."

I mean, hell, BMW's manual says it's just fine and dandy to use 89 octane on these newer cars even though it "will have light knock."

Yes, knock is cumulative and obviously can be bad over time but, for the most part, these cars are way more advanced than most will ever realize or perhaps admit with all their safety programs and what not. And, yes, most will freak from these "enthusiast" forums spitting worry like the car will explode tomorrow because you are using JB instead of Procede or COBB...and there have been very very rare occurrences (mostly from those pushing the cars way past recommended thresholds with FBO's and customized tunes) where there has been damage but there are thousands out there running these tunes in base form for years with absolutely no problems. Take it for what it's worth. I, for one, feel completely safe running these things with a fair margin of conscious maintenance on the car here and there just to make sure all is sound. But you do that, if you're smart, with any performance modification, no?

PS: I have absolutely no bias as I have used and still own a Procede v5 which runs just fine and has some very cool features...I simply prefer the easier install/uninstall and more consistent power delivery of the JB on my cars...for now.

"Not sure how I feel about the whole "riding the knock sensor" issue."

not to stir up the pot but this has been discussed at length and, at this point, basically beating a dead horse.

I just thought it important to mention. For me - I'm not worred about short-term reliability. I want to keep my car for 7+ years so I'm not sure about the tunes in that context, because there isn't much experience there.

i was waiting for more tunes/piggies to get a comparison/ more advanced tunes, but no one wants to develop something for such small crow... I would like to remember my old N54 and the stock car is not helping at all

Glad you are liking it thus far... did you get any other components from BMS to manage the tune (USB cable, CAN tool, etc?). Is there any software associated with this to download and flash, or do you simply get the tune module, install it, drive around, and leave it alone?

leave it alone for the most part, although terry does update it frequently based on user tests and what not...this is where the USB cable comes in handy to do updates and logs.

You mind elaborating on what's involved with updating the tune? Is there a thread on n54 or does he email out the latest and greatest when it becomes available? Sorry for all the questions, i'm coming from LS engines and am new to the 'tuning' world... thanks

I've got the jb stage 1 in '13 X3 35i, one of the drawbacks is the fact it does not in fact have the failsafes of jb4. I'm not sure of 3 series tranny, but what I do is leave it in standard/comfort mode and in drive rather than sport until warmed up. This has it shift earlier and much less throttle response/boost under moderate throttle.

Pretty easy workaround for me, and stage 1 is only solution I know of for X3. Had 135i with Cobb tune and greatly preferred that, but didn't want to wait 2 years for them to get to the x3, if they ever tune it. I'm thinking 50-60 of added torque with tune and maybe 30-40 at best for hp; very strong off the line but dies up top.